Ipswich Town 4-0 Buxton: Conor Chaplin scores two as Tractor Boys reach round three

Ipswich Town reached the third round of the FA Cup for the first time since being relegated to League One in 2019 as they cruised past non-league Buxton at a rainy Portman Road.

Conor Chaplin put them in front from Wes Burns' well-directed pass and was then involved in the build-up as Gassan Ahadme marked his first start for the club by doubling the lead.

Ahadme hit the post with a glancing header after the break, while Shaun Brisley was off target when well placed in a rare attack by their opponents, whose only round-three appearance was 70 years ago.

Chaplin scored his second, from 20 yards, when Buxton only half-cleared a Kane Vincent-Young cross, and substitute Kayden Jackson won the ball from Sean Newton before slotting in the fourth just before the end.

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna made five changes to the side which started their first-round victory at Bracknell, while Buxton gave a debut to right-back Max Conway, who was signed on loan from Bolton Wanderers on Friday.

After a minute's applause for former Ipswich, Liverpool and England striker David Johnson, who recently died aged 71, Town were soon pushing forward as they looked to use the pace of Burns and Kyle Edwards on the flanks to try to open up the visitors.

Ahadme, signed from Burton Albion in the previous transfer window, headed wide from 10 yards when unmarked at a corner, while Chaplin forced a good low save from keeper Theo Richardson as he looked to end a run of 12 games without a goal.

Cameron Humphreys clipped the top of the bar with a 20-yard effort but Buxton's defence was finally breached when Burns found Chaplin and he made the space to beat Richardson with his left foot.

Buxton were still recovering from that when Chaplin fed Kyle Edwards and his dinked cross was slid in by Ahadme from three yards as Town produced 17 goal attempts in the half to one by their National League North opponents.

With a league game against Fleetwood on Friday probably in mind, McKenna sent on Tawanda Chirewa and Albie Armin, aged 19 and 18 respectively, for the second half - both of whom had only previously appeared in the EFL Trophy.

Chirewa was soon shown a yellow card for a foul on Declan Poole but then warmed the palms of Richardson with a powerful drive from 30 yards, before Chaplin's emphatic finish to the top corner made it three.

Another 19-year-old, Matt Ward, made his Ipswich debut from the bench as Ahadme was given a breather before Jackson won the ball in the Buxton half and strolled through to add the finishing touch to a dominant display.

Ipswich head coach Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk:

"We wanted to go into the next round and do it professionally, score some goals and keep a clean sheet, so all the boxes are ticked.

"Buxton were well-organised, defended well, put their bodies on the line, they didn't make it easy and kept going right the way through the game.

"Conor is a goalscorer and doesn't like it when he doesn't for a while, and he was really keen to get on the scoresheet.

"He took up good positions all game and got his goals from good spaces coming off the back of the main striker."

Buxton boss Jamie Vermiglio told BBC Radio Derby:

"To get to the second round proper is a fantastic achievement for a non-league club. It's just a shame that we couldn't give the fans a goal or something to cheer about - not that they needed it.

"I've never seen anything like that, that following was superb, they didn't stop all game. At the end it was quite emotional watching them sing their hearts out. Occasions like this don't happen very often.

"Ipswich are a top side. Could we have been a bit braver on the ball? Maybe. But they press so well, with intent, it's very difficult to string three or four passes together.

"Other teams have been torn apart by them. We tried to be stubborn, and we were for the first 30 minutes, (but) it's hard when you concede."